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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Sewage cleanup done, but probe continues

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The city is continuing to investigate the cause of Friday's massive sewage spill that discharged 2.3 million gallons of raw sewage from the Pearl City wastewater pumping station.

The spill began about noon Friday after a contractor mistakenly opened a pressurized 12-inch force main. The city estimated that of the 2.3 million gallons that spilled, about 1.4 million gallons entered Waiawa Stream and Pearl Harbor's Middle Loch.

The sewage also backed into one nearby home and onto the yards of two other homes, said Athan Adachi, chief of the city's division of wastewater treatment and disposal. City crews spent most of the weekend cleaning the spill at the pump station and the homes, Adachi said.

The cleanup is completed, but Adachi said a 200-foot portion of the Pearl Harbor bike path behind the pump station remains closed after it was flooded by the wastewater.

"We don't want anybody going back there because that will expose them to the pathogens in the wastewater and the latest tests still show that the counts are still high," Adachi said.

Tests also show high levels of coliform bacteria in Waiawa Stream, Middle Loch and other waters in the immediate area, Adachi said. The public is being advised to avoid these areas until further notice.

Adachi yesterday did not want to comment on what led to the spill until the investigation is completed. On Friday, the city said a "miscommunication" between the contractor and a plant employee led to the contractor opening the "live" main.

The city has halted the work to upgrade the pump station until the investigation is completed, Adachi said. The project's contractor is A&B Electric Co. and the subcontractor Marisco Ltd., he said.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.